These perfectly soft and fluffy Lemon Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are tangy, refreshing, and the quintessential spring and summertime treats. Full of citrus flavor, there’s even a touch of lemon zest in the frosting too. Ideal for birthdays, backyard parties, or for a special dessert at home.
Lemon is the ultimate spring and summer flavor, but lucky for us, we can enjoy this lemon cupcake recipe whenever the mood strikes. No matter what time of year it is, if you need a little sunshiny pick-me-up, these cupcakes will certainly do it for you.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Full of tangy and refreshing flavor – there’s a reason why lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting work so well. The tang from the cream cheese pairs wonderfully with the bright citrus in the lemon. They’re the perfect match!
- Super soft and fluffy lemon cupcakes – there’s nothing quite like the taste of homemade baked goods. Lemon cupcakes made from scratch are far superior to store-bought options. They are so soft and fluffy, and buttery too.
- Not too sweet – I use a lot less sugar in the lemon cream cheese frosting than what you might find in the store. As a result, these cupcakes aren’t overly sweet.
Tools you’ll need
You likely already have everything you need to make this recipe for lemon cupcakes — there isn’t any special equipment needed.
- A stand mixer makes mixing the batter (and frosting) so much easier. Alternatively, you could use a handheld electric mixer and a large mixing bowl instead.
- A standard-sized muffin tin for baking your lemon treats.
- Muffin tin liners so the cupcakes don’t stick to the pan.
Ingredients and substitutions
As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- Granulated Sugar – Provides sweetness to your lemon cupcake recipe while also keeping them moist and tender. While you can usually use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, for these lemon cupcakes, I don’t recommend substituting brown sugar because we want a neutral palate for the lemony flavor to shine through.
- Lemon Zest – To impart the cupcakes with a bright, citrus flavor. The zest contains lemon essential oil, and that’s where all the flavor lives. You could substitute lemon essential oil directly, just make sure it is food grade, or use lemon extract if you can’t get your hands on fresh lemons.
- Unsalted Butter – Adds a certain richness to the overall recipe, plus some more moisture. When creamed with sugar, it will help aerate the batter and contribute to the rise.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk is slightly acidic, which helps tenderize the gluten in the flour resulting in tender crumbs. It also reacts with baking soda in the batter to help the cupcakes rise. To substitute buttermilk, you could use:
- Enough milk + 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to make ½ cup in this lemon cupcake recipe.
- Or ¼ cup of sour cream or yogurt + ¼ cup of milk.
- Eggs – You’ll need a large egg to bind all the ingredients together as well as an extra egg yolk to make the batter richer and more moist.
- All-Purpose Flour – good ‘ole AP flour is just fine here, but you can certainly use cake flour for added softness. And if you need to use a gluten-free flour with a 1:1 ratio, it should work just as well.
- Vanilla Extract – Enhances the overall flavor of the lemon cupcake recipe. A small amount complements the lemon and adds complexity to the overall taste.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder – Leavening agents that help the cupcakes rise. Baking soda reacts with acidic buttermilk to produce a gas that provides lift upon mixing. Baking powder provide additional lift as the cupcakes bake in the oven at higher temperature. Many recipes need both to get the intended balance of texture and flavor.
- Salt – Just a little bit of salt enhances the flavor of the other ingredients and balances out the sweetness from the sugar.
- Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting – Made with full fat brick cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and powdered sugar. I use much less sugar than most recipes, making the frosting more tangy rather than sugary — exactly how I like it.
How to make lemon cupcakes
The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Cream the sugar & butter
In a medium mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl, whisk together sugar and lemon zest. Then add the softened butter and beat until fluffy
Add the other wet ingredients
Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract, then add to the butter mixture and beat until combined.
Tip: If your ingredients are not all at the same temperature, your mixture may look curdled once mixed, but that’s okay — just keep going.
Incorporate the dry ingredients
Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk in the salt, then add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir just until the cupcake batter forms.
Stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the side and bottom of the mixing bowl to ensure thorough mixing. Try not to overmix the cake batter at this point.
Bake
Divide batter among 12 cupcake cavities using a large ice cream scoop. Bake your cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached. Allow to cool completely before decorating the lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting.
Make the lemon cream cheese frosting
If you ask me, the best frosting for lemon cupcakes is a tangy cream cheese frosting with freshly grated lemon zest to accentuate the refreshing citrus flavor of the cupcakes.
To make it, beat together butter and cream cheese until thoroughly combined and creamy. Add vanilla extract and lemon zest and beat to combine. Next, add powdered sugar and stir to combine first. Then gradually increase the mixer speed and beat until the frosting is fluffy.
Tip: If you want a different option for a sweet, tangy, and complimentary frosting, try this strawberry cream cheese frosting instead.
More baker’s tips
- For extra lemony flavor – I suggest adding a lemon curd filling to these cupcakes. This is optional but will definitely take your cupcakes to the next level. See this Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes recipe for directions on how to fill it.
- Homegrown vs. store bought lemons – I prefer using lots of freshly grated lemon zest for both the lemon cupcakes and the lemon cream cheese frosting. Most store-bought lemons are just fine in this recipe. If you’re using lemons from your garden, check to make sure they have a strong fragrance when you scratch the skin. Depending on the variety, some homegrown lemons lack oils and won’t give you that amazing lemony smell.
- Use room temperature ingredients – Ensure your butter, eggs, and buttermilk are at room temperature before you start making these lemon cupcakes. This helps them blend smoothly to create a more uniform and lighter batter.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before adding the frosting to keep it from melting and sliding right off.
- Cream cheese frosting yield – the amount of frosting this recipe makes is very generous for 12 cupcakes, if you like to pile the frosting high. If you like less frosting on your lemon cupcakes, cut the ingredients by ⅔.
Storage
These lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting will last up to a week in the refrigerator and much longer, up to 3 months, in the freezer.
When keeping cupcakes in the fridge or freezer, store them in an airtight container. Take care to wrap the cupcakes well when freezing to keep the freezer smell out. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
To wrap the cupcakes for the freezer, you want to first freeze the frosted cupcakes on a baking sheet until they are frozen solid, then you can wrap them up really well and store them in a container or freezer bag.
FAQs
Overmixing the batter is one of the main reasons why cupcakes collapse in the center. Why? Because it incorporates too much air. Remember to mix until just combined. Another culprit could be a too-cold oven. Take the time to let it preheat to 350 degrees F before baking.
I wouldn’t recommend it, as the acidity in the buttermilk is very important in this recipe for lemon cupcakes. Not only does it boast a tangy flavor, but it also reacts with the baking soda to create a light and fluffy texture. You can easily make buttermilk from regular milk by combining it with lemon juice or vinegar.
You can use cupcake liners or a combination of liners and a bit of uncooked rice. Add a few grains to the bottom of the muffin tin before you add the paper liners. The rice will soak up any unwanted grease.
More delicious lemon treats
📖 Recipe card
Lemon Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Cupcake
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (136 g)
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 3 oz unsalted butter (room temperature, 85 g)
- ½ cup buttermilk (room temperature, 128 g)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (162 g)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 12 oz cream cheese (room temperature, 340 g)
- 6 oz unsalted butter (room temperature, 170 g)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar (125 g)
Instructions
Make the lemon cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a regular size muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Add sugar and lemon zest into a medium mixing bowl or your stand mixer bowl and whisk together to release the lemon essential oil from the zest. Add softened butter and beat until fluffy.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the liquid mixture to the butter mixture and beat until combined.
- In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a medium mixing bowl. Add salt to the flour mixture, and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the side and bottom of the bowl to ensure the batter is well mixed.
- Divide batter evenly among twelve cupcake cavities using a large ice cream scoop and bake for 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the pan, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before adding frosting.
Prepare the cream cheese frosting
- In a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer bowl, cream butter and cream cheese together until thoroughly mixed and creamy.
- Add vanilla extract and lemon zest, and beat to combine.
- Add powdered sugar and stir until incorporated, gradually increase the mixer speed and beat until fluffy.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes using a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip of your choice, or simply add frosting with an offset spatula or butter knife
Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk, use enough milk + 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to make ½ cup. Or half sour cream or yogurt + half milk.
- To both the cake batter and frosting, you can add lemon extract or food grade lemon essential oil for additional flavoring or in place of lemon zest if you don’t have any lemons. However, note that fresh lemon zest is preferred.
- The amount of frosting this recipe makes is very generous for 12 cupcakes, if you like to pile the frosting high. If you like less frosting on your lemon cupcakes, cut the ingredients by ⅔.
Nutrition
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Does this recipe transfer well to a cake? Or stick with cupcakes?
I have not made this recipe as a cake, but I think it will work. You could make a 2 layers 6″ cake, or a 1 layer 8″ cake. Baking time will be longer 20-25 mins for 6″ and probably 30-35 mins for 8″.
Who needs a story? These cupcakes speak for themselves. That frosting looks perfect
Awe thanks! 🙂
Hi, for frosting part, can I substitute the cream cheese with butter instead?
You can use a buttercream recipe instead, check my american buttercream or swiss buttercream recipe. Use the vanilla version and add lemon zest for lemon flavor frosting.
That cream cheese frosting looks amazing! I love the little lemon wedge on top, really cute 🙂
Thank you!